But a general economic depression continued, and there was widespread industrial unrest as the krone declined in value and living standards fell. A general strike lasted for a month and a workers' demonstration in Renders was subdued by the army. HISTORYIh\ Venstre and the Social Democrats jostled for position over the next decade, though under the new electoral system ho one party could achieve enough power to undertake major reform. The economy did improve, however, and state influence spread further through Danish society than ever before. Enlightened reforms were put on the agenda, too, making a deliberately clean break with the moral standpoints of the past notably on abortion and illegitimacy. Major public works were funded, such as the bridge between Funen and Jutland over the Lille Bxlt and the Stormstr0msbw, linking Zealand to Falstar. ¦ The Nazi occupation While Denmark had little military significance for the Nazis, the sea off Norway was being used for the supply of iron ore from Sweden to Britain, and the fjords offered good shelter for a fleet engaged in a naval war in the Atlantic. To get to Norway, the Nazis planned an invasion of Denmark. At 4am on April 9, 1940, the German ambassador in Copenhagen informed Prime Minister Stauning that German troops were preparing to cross the Danish border and issued the ultimatum that unless Denmark agreed that the country could be used as a German military base keeping control of its own affairs Copenhagen would be bombed. To reject the demand was considered a postponement of the inevitable, and to save Danish bloodshed the government acquiesced at 6am. "They took us by telephone" said a Danish minister. A national coalition government was formed which behaved according to protocol but gave no unnecessary concessions to the Germans. Censorship of the press and a ban on demonstrations were imposed, ostensibly intended to prevent the Danish Nazis spreading propaganda. But these measures, like the swiftness of the initial agreement, were viewed by some Danes as capitulation and were to be a thorn in the side of the Social Democrats for years to come. The government was reshuffled and changed to include nonparliamentary experts, one of whom, Erik Scavenius, a former Foreign Minister, conceived an illfated plan to gain the confidence of the Germans. He issued a statement outlining the government's friendly attitude to the occupying power, and even praised the German military victory which upset the Danish public and astonished the Germans, who asked whether Denmark would like to enter into commercial agreement immediately rather than wait until the end of the war. Scavenius was powerless to do anything other than agree, and a deal was signed within days. Under its terms, the krone was to be phased out and German currency made legal tender. Public reaction was naturally hostile, and Scavenius was, not surprisingly, regarded as a traitor. Groups of Danes began a systemati', display of antipathy to the Germans.